I want to go abroad for treatment
You are free to travel abroad to receive healthcare. You can access treatment in another EU or EEA country on the same terms as residents of that country.
You can travel abroad to use both primary healthcare and specialised healthcare services and to receive treatment for a long-term condition.
What does ‘seeking treatment abroad’ mean?
Seeking treatment abroad means travelling abroad specifically for the purpose of receiving treatment. Using a healthcare provider’s services remotely when the provider is located abroad also constitutes seeking treatment abroad.
If you unexpectedly need healthcare services abroad, for example while on holiday, this is considered sudden illness.
Read about sudden illness on the page Falling ill while travelling abroad.
You can use healthcare services in EU countries
If you live in an EU country, you can travel to another EU or EEA country to use public and private healthcare services. You can access treatment on the same terms as residents of that country.
You can receive reimbursement from Kela for treatment received in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom.
In Switzerland and the United Kingdom, healthcare providers can decide independently whether to accept patients from abroad.
EU and EEA countries are not required to provide all healthcare services to people arriving from abroad
EU and EEA countries are not required to provide the following healthcare services to people arriving from abroad:
- long-term care and other services intended to support a person in carrying out routine daily activities
- organ transplants
- vaccines and vaccination programmes.
How to travel abroad for treatment
Choose the destination country and healthcare provider
- Find a suitable hospital or doctor and make sure they are authorised to provide healthcare services.
- Please note that treatment is always provided in accordance with the legislation and healthcare system of the country where you receive treatment.
You can ask for more information from the National Contact Point in the country where you wish to receive treatment. See the contact details of the National Contact Points in EU countries on our website.
Make the practical arrangements
- Agree on the timing of the treatment, practical arrangements and fees directly with the healthcare provider.
- Find out which language will be used during your treatment and arrange an interpreter if necessary.
- If you wish, you can apply to Kela for prior authorisation or request a prior information notice.
- If you have applied for prior authorisation (Form S2), check with the healthcare provider that it accepts the authorisation.
Remember your medical records and translations
- Provide the healthcare provider with the most relevant medical records and a referral if necessary. You may also need a referral to receive reimbursement from Kela.
- If the documents need to be translated, you must pay the translation costs yourself.
Travel for treatment and pay the bill
- If you have prior authorisation granted by Kela, you only pay the local client fee for your treatment.
- If you do not have prior authorisation, you must pay the full bill yourself.
- Ask the healthcare provider for your medical records and bring them with you to Finland.
Claim reimbursement from Kela
- Submit an itemised statement of the treatment you received and its costs to Kela and claim reimbursement using form SV 128.
- If Kela has granted you prior authorisation and you have paid only the local client fee for the treatment, you do not need to claim reimbursement separately. However, you can apply to Kela for reimbursement of travel, medicine and accommodation costs incurred during the trip.
- Claim reimbursement no later than six months after payment.
Do you need follow-up treatment in Finland?
- If you need follow-up treatment in Finland, contact your local health centre. The doctor treating you will assess your need for treatment and you will receive treatment accordingly.
- Treatment is provided in accordance with Finnish practices. The treatment provided in Finland may differ from the instructions for follow-up care you received abroad.
- Give the medical records you received abroad to the doctor providing your follow-up treatment. If the documents need to be translated, you must pay the translation costs yourself.
What if you suffer a patient injury?
- Finnish patient insurance does not cover patient injuries that occur abroad.
- Discuss the incident with the healthcare provider and claim any compensation from the authorities in the country concerned.
- If necessary, the Contact Point in the country where you received treatment can help you resolve matters concerning a patient injury.
- However, you can receive treatment in Finland even if the need for treatment arises from a patient injury that occurred abroad.
How much will I pay for treatment if I travel abroad for it?
You can travel abroad for treatment either independently or with prior authorisation.
If you travel abroad for treatment with prior authorisation, you pay only the local client fee, which is the same amount as local residents pay. Your wellbeing services county will pay the remaining costs.
If you travel abroad for treatment independently, i.e. without prior authorisation, you must first pay all the costs yourself. Afterwards, apply to Kela for reimbursement of the treatment costs.
- You can be reimbursed up to the amount that equivalent treatment would have cost in your wellbeing services county in Finland.
- You must always pay the client fee that public healthcare would have charged you in Finland.
Treatment abroad with prior authorisation under the EU Regulation
Prior authorisation (form S2) is a guarantee of payment, under which your wellbeing services county pays the costs of treatment provided abroad.
If you are granted prior authorisation, you pay only the local client fee for the treatment, which is the same amount as local residents pay.
Kela’s Centre for International Affairs will help you apply for prior authorisation if necessary.
On what grounds can I be granted prior authorisation?
The criteria for granting prior authorisation are laid down in EU Regulation 883/2004.
When deciding whether to grant prior authorisation, your state of health and the likely course of your illness are taken into account.
Kela will always grant prior authorisation if the following conditions are met:
- your need for treatment is medically justified,
- you would be entitled to the treatment in question within Finland’s public healthcare system and
- Finland’s public healthcare system cannot arrange the treatment for you within the statutory time limit for access to care.
Prior authorisation may be refused if
- the treatment is not arranged or provided within Finland’s public healthcare system or
- Finland’s public healthcare system can arrange the treatment in question or equivalent treatment within the statutory time limit for access to care.
How long does it take to process an application for prior authorisation?
At Kela, applications concerning international situations, such as prior authorisation, generally take longer to process than other applications.
Check the processing time for prior authorisation on Kela’s website.
Claim reimbursement of travel and accommodation costs afterwards
Kela reimburses travel costs from Finland to the healthcare facility if you have prior authorisation for the treatment.
- You generally have to pay only the co-payment yourself.
- Kela always reimburses travel costs based on the least expensive means of transport.
- You can also receive reimbursement from Kela for accommodation costs related to the treatment.
- You can also receive reimbursement for the costs of an accompanying person if healthcare professionals assess that you need someone to accompany you on the journey.
- Claim reimbursement afterwards, no later than six months after payment.
Seeking treatment abroad independently without prior authorisation
You can travel to another country for treatment independently, i.e. without prior authorisation.
- Under EU legislation, you are entitled to treatment on the same terms as local residents in the destination country.
- If there is a waiting list for treatment, you will have to wait just as local residents do.
- If you travel abroad for treatment without prior authorisation, you do not need to notify Kela or any other authority in advance.
- Pay the treatment costs yourself first and apply to Kela for reimbursement afterwards.
On what grounds can I receive reimbursement if I travel abroad for treatment without prior authorisation?
Kela reimburses the cost of treatment provided in EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Kela reimburses costs up to the amount that equivalent treatment would have cost in your wellbeing services county in Finland.
You must always pay the client fee that public healthcare would have charged you in Finland.
In general, you can receive reimbursement from Kela if the following conditions are met:
- the treatment is included in the service choices of Finland’s public healthcare system,
- you would also have been entitled to equivalent treatment in Finland,
- you claim reimbursement within six months of receiving the treatment and
- if the treatment would have required a referral in Finland, you have a referral.
If you wish, you can find out the amount of reimbursement in advance by requesting a prior information notice from Kela.
What is a prior information notice?
- In the prior information notice, Kela determines whether you can receive reimbursement for treatment provided abroad and how much the reimbursement would be.
- Before travelling abroad for treatment on your own initiative, you can request a prior information notice from Kela.
- Request a prior information notice well in advance of your trip.
In practice, requesting a prior information notice means that you submit a treatment plan to Kela. Kela will then ask your wellbeing services county what reimbursement you could receive for the treatment.
If the treatment is ultimately provided as you stated in advance, you will receive reimbursement in accordance with the prior information notice.
Compare: treatment abroad with or without prior authorisation
Treatment abroad with prior authorisation
- Find a suitable healthcare provider and check whether it accepts prior authorisation.
- Apply to Kela for prior authorisation. Kela grants prior authorisation if your wellbeing services county supports the application.
- Take the prior authorisation form sent to you by Kela with you on your trip.
- You only pay the local client fee for the treatment.
- You can subsequently apply to Kela for reimbursement of the costs of travel, medicines and accommodation.
Treatment abroad without prior authorisation
- Find a suitable healthcare provider.
- If you wish, you can ask Kela in advance what reimbursement you could receive for the treatment, i.e. request a prior information notice. Request a prior information notice well in advance of your trip.
- You must pay the treatment, medicine, travel and accommodation costs yourself.
- Apply to Kela for reimbursement afterwards.
Travelling for treatment outside the EU and EEA
You can also travel for treatment to a country outside the EU or EEA, but whether you can access treatment depends on the legislation of the destination country.
In other countries, healthcare providers are not legally required to accept you for treatment if you have travelled to the country in order to use healthcare services.
Kela will not reimburse you if you travel for treatment to a country other than an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom. In that case, you must pay all treatment costs yourself.
Frequently asked questions about treatment abroad
I am pregnant. Can I travel abroad for pregnancy-related treatment or to give birth?
Yes, you can. When travelling to an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom for pregnancy care or childbirth,
- find a suitable healthcare provider and agree on the arrangements for the treatment or childbirth with the provider.
- You must pay the treatment costs yourself, after which you can claim reimbursement from Kela.
- You can also apply for prior authorisation to receive the treatment. In that case, you only pay the local client fee.
If you travel to any other country to give birth, you must pay all the costs yourself and cannot receive reimbursement from Kela.
I have a long-term condition. Can I travel abroad for treatment of a long-term condition?
Yes. You are free to travel to EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and the United Kingdom for treatment.
Kela reimburses treatment costs up to the amount that equivalent treatment would have cost in your wellbeing services county in Finland.
In other countries, your right to treatment is determined by the legislation of the destination country and you will usually have to pay the treatment costs yourself.
Can I receive reimbursement from Kela for any treatment provided abroad?
No, you cannot. Kela reimburses treatment costs only if
- the treatment is provided in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom,
- the treatment is medically necessary and
- the treatment is included in the services provided by Finland’s public healthcare system.
You can apply for prior authorisation for treatment under the EU Regulation, which in practice is a guarantee of payment.
- You can only be granted prior authorisation for treatment that is included in the services provided by Finland’s public healthcare system.
- This means you cannot be granted prior authorisation for treatment that is not available in Finland.
- An exception is made for rare diseases, for which prior authorisation may be granted in some cases.
How can I find information about treatment options and prices abroad?
As a rule, you are responsible for finding out what treatment options are available in the country where you wish to receive treatment.
You can find links to websites with information on healthcare services and their prices in different countries in the Country-specific information on health services section of our website.
Each EU country also has a Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare, which you can ask about healthcare services in that country.
Ask the hospital or healthcare provider where you would like to receive treatment about prices in advance.
How long will I have to wait for treatment abroad?
Waiting times for treatment vary from country to country. Ask the Contact Point for Cross-Border Healthcare in your destination country about waiting times. You can also ask the healthcare provider directly how long you will have to wait for treatment.
How long does it take to process a reimbursement claim?
At Kela, applications concerning international situations generally take longer to process than other applications.
Can I also receive reimbursement for medicines if I travel abroad for treatment?
Yes. You can receive reimbursement from Kela for medicines.
If you travel for treatment without prior authorisation, you must first pay for the medicines yourself. You can subsequently apply to Kela for reimbursement of the cost of the medicines. The reimbursement can be no more than the amount you would receive for an equivalent medicine in Finland.
If you travel abroad for treatment with prior authorisation, you do not usually have to pay for medicines included in your treatment.
Can I travel abroad for rehabilitation?
Yes. Before travelling, find out whether you can receive rehabilitation by contacting your insurer or Kela. Rehabilitation abroad may differ from what you would receive in Finland.
Frequently asked questions about prior authorisation
What is prior authorisation and where can I obtain it in Finland?
If you travel abroad for treatment, you can apply for prior authorisation for the treatment.
- Prior authorisation is a guarantee of payment under which your wellbeing services county pays part of your treatment costs.
- You can apply for prior authorisation under the EU Regulation (form S2) for treatment provided in an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom.
- If you are granted prior authorisation, you pay the same amount for the treatment as local residents do. Your wellbeing services county pays the remaining treatment costs.
- Agree on practical arrangements with the healthcare provider and check in advance that it accepts the prior authorisation.
Apply to Kela for prior authorisation.
- Attach documentation concerning your treatment, such as a doctor’s statement, to the application.
- Kela requests a statement on your situation from the public healthcare system and grants prior authorisation if the healthcare services in your wellbeing services county support the application.
At present, only prior authorisation under the EU Regulation is used in Finland.
Can I choose where to receive treatment with prior authorisation?
Yes, you can. Find a suitable healthcare provider and check whether it accepts prior authorisation (form S2).
Prior authorisation is usually accepted only by public healthcare providers or by providers that have an agreement with the public healthcare system.
Kela grants prior authorisation for a specific treatment in a specific country. Prior authorisation also has a time limit within which you must travel for treatment.
On what grounds is prior authorisation granted in Finland?
The public healthcare services of your wellbeing services county will assess your application for prior authorisation.
Prior authorisation must be granted if
- the treatment is justified in your case,
- the treatment you are seeking is included in the services provided by Finland’s public healthcare system and
- you cannot be provided with the treatment in Finland within the statutory time limit for access to care.
In some cases, prior authorisation may be granted, for example, on linguistic or cultural grounds even if the treatment is also available in Finland.
Frequently asked questions about treatment abroad without prior authorisation
Can I receive reimbursement for treatment costs if I seek treatment abroad on my own initiative?
Yes, you can.
You can claim reimbursement from Kela if you travel for treatment on your own initiative to an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom.
- Kela reimburses treatment costs based on what equivalent treatment would have cost in your wellbeing services county in Finland.
- You must always pay the client fee yourself, i.e. the amount that Finland’s public healthcare system would have charged you for the treatment.
- Claim reimbursement from Kela within six months of paying for the treatment.
You can also apply to Kela for prior authorisation under the EU Regulation for treatment provided abroad. If you are granted prior authorisation, you pay the same amount for the treatment as local residents do.
You cannot receive reimbursement from Kela if you travel for treatment to a country other than an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom.
Can I find out the amount of reimbursement in advance?
If you wish, you can ask Kela in advance what reimbursement you could receive for treatment provided abroad. This is called a prior information notice.
Request a prior information notice well in advance of travelling for treatment, as Kela will ask your wellbeing services county what reimbursement you could receive for the treatment.
For a prior information notice, you will need:
- a statement from the doctor providing treatment abroad describing the treatment planned for you,
- an estimate of the treatment costs and
- a referral, if one is required for equivalent treatment in Finland. The referral can be issued in Finland or abroad.
Kela will reimburse treatment costs as stated in the prior information notice if the treatment is provided in accordance with the information you submitted.